Recent Advances in Topological Photonics: From Fundamentals to Materials Engineering

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical Interaction Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 545

Special Issue Editor

Department of Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: integrated photonics; topological photonics; nanophotonics; optoelectronic devices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Topological photonics has emerged as a rapidly developing research frontier at the intersection of optics, condensed matter physics, materials science, and device engineering. By introducing topological concepts into photonic systems, this field has opened new possibilities for robust light manipulation, disorder-immune transport, and novel functionalities in integrated photonic devices. Recent progress in this area has not only deepened our understanding of fundamental physics, but has also accelerated the development of new materials, structures, and engineering approaches for practical applications.

In this Special Issue, we are particularly interested in recent theoretical, experimental, and technological advances in topological photonics, with a focus ranging from fundamental mechanisms and design principles to material platforms, fabrication strategies, and device implementation. We welcome original research articles and review papers that explore how topological concepts can be translated into innovative photonic materials and engineering solutions.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Fundamental theories and emerging concepts in topological photonics
  • Topological phenomena in photonic crystals, metamaterials, and metasurfaces
  • Non-Hermitian, nonlinear, and quantum topological photonic systems
  • Topological light transport, lasing, and robust waveguiding
  • Novel materials and material platforms for topological photonics
  • Materials engineering, fabrication, and integration strategies for topological photonic devices
  • On-chip and integrated topological photonic systems
  • Applications of topological photonics in optical communication, sensing, imaging, and information processing

We warmly invite researchers working in related fields to submit their latest high-quality contributions to this Special Issue and to share their insights into the future development of topological photonics.

We look forward to your valuable submissions.

Best regards,

Dr. Lu Sun
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • topological photonics
  • photonic crystals
  • material engineering
  • topological edge states
  • integrated photonics
  • metamaterials
  • non-Hermitian photonics
  • robust light transport

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 1617 KB  
Article
Axion-Mediated Magnetized Ferrite Interface: Scattering Dynamics Reveals Topological Magnetoelectric Response by Topological Insulator
by Bader Alhasson, Faroq Razzaz, Muhammad Arfan and Naila Khaleel
Photonics 2026, 13(5), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13050452 - 4 May 2026
Viewed by 323
Abstract
We explore the interaction of a plane electromagnetic wave with a topological insulator (TI) cylinder that is coated with homogeneous magnetized ferrite. TIs display exotic electromagnetic responses due to topological magnetoelectric (TME) phenomena. An analytic theory for the electromagnetic scattering from a TI [...] Read more.
We explore the interaction of a plane electromagnetic wave with a topological insulator (TI) cylinder that is coated with homogeneous magnetized ferrite. TIs display exotic electromagnetic responses due to topological magnetoelectric (TME) phenomena. An analytic theory for the electromagnetic scattering from a TI scatterer is developed. The analytical expressions of the polarized electromagnetic fields for the transverse magnetic (TM) case are formulated. The so-called unknown scattering coefficients are derived by implementing the boundary conditions (BCs) on the surface of a TI. The scattering characteristics of plane waves by a TI scatterer are numerically simulated and discussed. The numerical results demonstrate that the scattering characteristics are strongly influenced by the external magnetic field, axion angle, thickness of coating layer, and incident operating wave frequency. This work could provide valuable theoretical insights into the scattering phenomena of optical waves and find promising applications in optical manipulation, particle radiation force and torque, optical diagnosis, metamaterial structures, and wave optics in random media. Full article
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